Songbird
by JustADreamer123
Summary: And the songbirds keep singing, like they know the score...and I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before... AU. HarryxHermione and so many more.
1. already gone

**Mmkay, I guarentee that this is a Harry Potter fanfiction, so don't go telling me it isn't. No flames please, too. **

**Lena Rose is my creation, but everything else is JK Rowling's. I'm just manipulating her characters. That goes for every chapter. **

**Happy birthday to JK Rowling and Harry Potter. I know it's cliche to start a new story on this day, but I don't really care. :}**

chapter one – already gone

It was going to be different, I thought. It was going to be a new start. I would enjoy a year in London, I would live life and then when I returned to Balboa, I would deal with the consequences of leaving so quickly after my parents' death. I would enjoy London. Now….if only I could get on the plane.

I looked back at the friends I was leaving behind. They smiled softly and waved good-bye. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to. I wanted to start fresh, and even though I'd have to return eventually, I figured that this would be the best way to do that.

With much difficulty, I smiled back and waved, taking a deep breath and stepped onto the plane last. They shut the door behind me and I knew there was no going back.

I, Lena Rose Tyler, didn't know what I was getting into, until I was too far into it to leave.

***.*.*.*.***

Lena Tyler walked off the plane, her two carry-on bags with her. As she walked up the terminal, she saw two extremely nice looking people holding a sign with her name written on it.

She walked up to them. "You must be Wendell and Monica Wilkins." Lena said.

The two nodded. "Yes and you must be Lena Tyler. I'm so sorry to hear about your parents, dearie." Monica said gently, reaching out to take one of her bags.

"Thank you..." Lena whispered. She cleared her throat. "I'm looking forward to staying here for a year. I've always wanted to be in London."

"Well, we're looking forward to it as well." Wendell said.

"C'mon then. Let's get to the car."

The ride from the airport to the Wilkins' house was quiet except for Lena's ooh's and aah's over all the sights they had passed. The Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and others. Wendell had taken the scenic route to the Wilkins' house, Monica pointing out each place with avid description and the two bickered constantly, but the good bickering, the type that kept you on your toes and then they all were laughing minutes later.

Monica helped Lena unpack her room, which was light purple and had a big window across from the door. Lena sighed and let her hand drift across the white dresser and ran a hand through her hair. She missed her parents terribly. She placed a picture of herself with her parents on the dresser and then one of her and her friends, Connor, Avery, Chloe, Logan, Isabella, her and then Liam.

Oh Liam...Lena sighed and let her arms fall to her sides. She missed all of them, some more than others, and her head turned when she heard Monica yell, "Lena! Tea is ready!"

"Coming!" Her voice wavered and she tucked her hair back behind her ear, but a few strands fell back into place. She rolled her eyes at her hair and she walked downstairs for tea time.

The next few weeks passed in a daze for Lena. She read all the books she was supposed to, Monica and Wendell took her everywhere and soon, it was almost time for Lena to begin school in London. Her friends back at home hadn't been in much contact with her, the time change just too much of a difference for them to catch her at a decent time and that made her even sadder.

Shortly before school started for Lena, she had a visitor. Monica had walked up the stairs to Lena's bedroom and said that his name was Cameron, he "seemed nice and respectful" and he was also "from her school and to give her advice and stuff". Lena rolled her eyes and walked back downstairs with Monica and Lena got a good look at Cameron. He was tall and dark, but his smile was warm and it made Lena smile weakly in return.

"Hi there." Cameron said to Lena.

"Hey. You're Cameron?" She asked and he nodded.

"Not what you expected?" Cameron asked.

"Not at all, but I like surprises." Lena said, trying to keep an open mind about him, but failing. "What are here you for?"

"To meet you and make sure you have all the necessities for school."

"Well, I do. And you have met me, so." Lena nodded to the door and Cameron smirked slightly.

"Ah, they said you might be difficult."

"They?" Lena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Cameron faltered. "The school board."

"Mmm." Lena hummed and crossed her arms. "Are you here to put me in a good mood, because it's not working." Lena said.

"I'm here to warm you about the brutes at our school, actually." Cameron snapped, mimicking her stance. "They are quite…well, let's just say they would do anything to get into a girl's knickers." Cameron said.

"And you won't?"

"I have my own girlfriend, thank you very much." Cameron retorted. Lena looked remorseful.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get a rise out of you. Thank you. For the warning." Lena stumbled over her words as her arms dropped to her sides.

"You're welcome." Cameron let his arms drop as well. "Anyway, I'll see you on Tuesday, correct?"

"Yup." Lena said, popping the 'p'.

"If you need anything, I'm not that difficult to find." Cameron mimed tipping a hat to her before he left.

Lena sighed and leaned against the door frame and Monica wrapped her arm around Lena's shoulders and squeezed. "Everything's going to be alright, Lena, I promise you. Come on, supper is ready."

*.*.*.*.*

After the first few weeks of school, Lena found herself a busy, busy person. The only times she thought of home was in her dreams, and most of the time, she woke up a 10 times more tired than she was to begin with. She missed her best friends, Avery, Isabella, and Chloe. She missed Connor and Logan's stupid jokes and how easy it was for them to make a distraction so they didn't have to do any work in their classes. She missed Liam, she remembered everything about him, his smile, his laugh, his burps, his hugs. She wished he would call her, text her, email her, something. But all she got was silence. Avery and Isabella had called her once or twice, on her birthday. She stayed up till midnight on the fourth of September, waiting for a call from Liam, but nothing ever came through. She went to sleep crying. Her memories of him were haunted, always bringing back the tears.

She missed her parents, but Wendell and Monica were good replacements. Her aunts and uncles emailed her frequently, trying to keep in touch, but eventually, Lena stopped responding and they gave up.

Cameron was funny, and he quickly became her best friend in London. He reminded Lena a lot of Connor and Logan and Avery put together.

There was no moving on for Lena, no matter how hard she tried.


	2. ain't no sunshine

chapter two – ain't no sunshine

Three in the morning has become his least favourite time of the day. Especially during the sweltering summer. He stayed up late, thinking about how he could've been faster, he could've stopped her, but failed. He woke up at three, every day, because he knew that she would be getting up by then, if she wasn't already.

His eyes closed and he was back in time, staring straight ahead with unbelieving eyes at the closed door he had run to not a few weeks previously.

"_She's gone, Liam." _

Those words echoed in his ears, making them burn. Sure, she'd be back but she wouldn't be the same. London changes people. She's wanted to go there since she was little, to get away from this god-awful town. Of course he knew that, he'd known her _forever _it seemed.

(in reality, he'd known her since the third grade when he moved there and he was placed next to her in the classroom.)

He knew everything about her, but then again, so did Isabella. So did Avery. So did Chloe. So did Connor and Logan. Everyone knew everything about her. She has lived in Balboa since she was a baby, her parents had moved not long after she was born in Long Beach. Shockingly, she wasn't all that tan, he'd noticed, considering the fact that she'd lived by the ocean since she was a baby. Her hair wasn't blonde like her parents, either, but if you met her grandmother, you'd know where she got the dirty blonde curls from.

Liam sighed and put his pillow over his head, wondering whether or not to scream into it. Deciding that that was too girly, he took it off his head and sat up, threw on some basketball shorts over his boxers and flip flops and left. His mother wouldn't worry, she was above that.

Hands in his pockets, he walked along the cool water and watched the sun rise on the horizon. Best thinking time, he thought dryly as all the birds squawked at his presence and flew away nosily.

"Missin' a young girlie, lad?" Someone yelled at him from the stone wall.

Liam looked up from the water and saw a redhead sitting on the wall, his fishing rod in his hands and his grin was scary.

"It's written all o'er yer face." The man explained.

Liam sighed again and kicked some of the water.

"Don't you go scaring me fish away! I want some nice fish fer dinner tonight."

Liam concluded that the man was either a pirate or poor-speaking Irishman. He took the second option. "Yes, I'm missing a girl. Well, she's a woman now, I guess." He kicked the wet sand and it barely budged, simply falling back into place.

"Ah. I see, I see, said the blind man." The man said, rubbing his chin. "What was she like?"

"Well…she wasn't the tallest person in the world. Exceptionally bright, though. Her mind was always moving, always in motion."

"Sounds like a smart one." The man grinned in approval. "What about beauty?"

"Never thought twice about herself, even though everyone else, well the guys at least, did." Liam responded.

"I meant the hair colour, but tha' works too."

"Brown. Well…dirty, dirty blonde, but dark brown when wet." Liam scrunched up his nose in thought, trying to remember what she looked like. Had it really been that long since he had seen her?

"You must miss 'er. How long 'as she been gone?" The man asked, curious.

"A few weeks. Tried to stop her, but that failed. By the time I got there, the plane was gone."

The man raised his eyebrows. "Where was she headed?"

"London. For a year to study abroad. Her parents had just died and she figured, why not? Get away for a while, clear her head."

"I'll say, poor child." The man whistled lowly. "You wouldn't 'ave a picture of 'er, would you?"

Liam pulled out his phone and flipped through his pictures till he found the one he had secretly took one day while she was eating her ice cream while leaning against her bike, sunglasses on and all. The man looked at it and Liam noticed how his eyes had a flicker of something in them and then he took the phone back.

The man whistled appreciatively. "What you say 'er name was?"

"Lena." Liam smiled, looking back down at the picture. "Fits her don't you think?" The man didn't respond. "What did you say your name was?"

When he looked back up, the man was gone.

"What..." Liam said to himself, then shook his head and sat back down sighing. He's been doing that a lot recently. Given the circumstances though, I suppose he's allowed to sigh quite frequently. Liam supposed he had made it all up in his head and went with that. "Now I've gone loopy." He concluded, using of her Lena's favourite sayings and shaking his head.

The sun kept rising and Liam kept sitting. Soon, the sun was shining, but not on Liam.

**So, I forgot to mention, reviews are nice too. Not really required, but recommended. :)**


	3. pure imagination

chapter three – pure imagination

It was October. It was getting colder in London and Lena noticed this. She shoved her shorts and flip-flops to the back of the closet and retreated to her jeans and boots sadly.

It had started to pour when the academy let them out for the weekend. Cameron was visiting his parents so Lena was left to fend for herself. She raised the umbrella over her head and started off to downtown London. The rain didn't let up, in fact, all it did was rain harder. Mother Nature must really hate me, Lena thought sourly as she retreated to the closest building.

As she stepped inside and shook out her umbrella, she took notice of her surroundings. It was a small little café with four or five bookcases filled to the brink with books. Lena smiled slightly and set down her umbrella and bag on the couch and wandered around the bookcases in search of something to read. She had just found a book and leaned against the bookcase when she felt someone's eyes on her. She looked up and looked around, but saw no one staring at her. She shrugged and went back to her book. After she was about a quarter of the way through the book, her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch. She walked up to the counter, carrying her book with her, and ordered a bagel with cream cheese and a small cappuccino.

Once again, she felt someone's eyes on her and she looked around, but saw no one staring at her. Must've my imagination, Lena thought as she grabbed her bagel with cream cheese and cappuccino. She sat down next to her bag on the couch and began to eat her bagel. It was good, and she continued to read her book.

"It's a good one, isn't it?" Someone asked her. Lena looked up and saw a woman in her thirties probably standing in front of her. "The book, I mean." She sat down in the chair across from Lena.

"Yeah, it's the fourth one, so it's my favorite, well tied with the last one, of course." Lena smiled and nodded.

"Oh, I love the last one. The third one is also a favorite of mine." The woman said, smiling at Lena.

The woman reminded Lena a lot of Wendell and Monica wrapped up in one. She long brown hair and warm brown eyes, much like her own. Lena smiled and nodded. "I like the third one. I'm Lena." She stretched out her hand and expected the woman to shake it.

The woman faltered, going unnoticed by Lena, but shook her hand anyway. "I'm Hermione."

"Like the book!" Lena smiled, holding up the book.

"Yes, my mum used to say that J.K. Rowling stole my name." Hermione laughed.

Lena chuckled. "Maybe. But I admire her work. I want to write like her one day."

"Maybe you will, you never know." Hermione shrugged. "You don't sound British, but you have a…bit of an accent."

"It rubs off once I'm here for too long, but no, I was born in America, California to be precise." Lena smiled. "I'm an exchange student, staying with Wendell and Monica Wilkins."

This time, when Hermione faltered, it wasn't unnoticed by Lena. Lena's head titled when she realized something.

"When Hermione, on the book, left to go with Harry and Ron to search for Horcruxes, Hermione obliviated her parents and made them…"

"Wendell and Monica Wilkins." Hermione finished for her.

Lena thought about it for a minute before laughing. "Woah, what a coincidence! That's almost freaky."

"Yeah. Freaky." Hermione agreed quietly.

"It's almost as if the books were real." Lena continued laughing and took a sip of her cappuccino.

But Hermione didn't hear her.

She was too busy remembering everything.

**So some chapters are really short and others are really long. Lena will realize who she is, with the help of Hermione. Next chapter, memories! **

**Reviews are nice...they make my day. :)**


	4. almost lover

chapter four – almost lover

Harry grinned at Hermione and moved across the tent to help her stand up. He slowly removed the locket and threw it on the bed. He led her to the middle of the rent and he started to dance with her. She let Harry take her hands and the two danced to the song, twirling, smiling and laughing. As the song drew to a close, Hermione rested her hand on Harry's shoulder and then her chin on the back of her hand. Harry nuzzled his nose against her neck and she smiled softly. He drew back and so did she. They stopped swaying and Harry tucked that stray piece of hair behind her ear.

He kissed her.

*.*.*.*.*

"Are you alright, 'ermione?"

Fleur stood in the door frame of the room Hermione had been residing in. Hermione glanced behind her, her hand subconsciously going to her abdomen, then back to the window.

"Fine." She managed to say, squinting her eyes.

"I may be blonde, but I 'ave common sense." Fleur said, sitting down on the bed. "Come 'ere. You look like you could use some comfort." Hermione bowed her head and shuffled slowly over to the bed and sat down next to Fleur. "Tell me, 'ermione."

Hermione didn't realize she was crying until she lifted her head and Fleur wiped them away. "I'm…I'm…"

Hermione didn't have to finish for Fleur to know where she was going with that sentence. Fleur took the younger girl in her arms and hugged her tightly, fearing that if she let go, she would break.

"Oh 'ermione. Is it okay?" Fleur asked gently, stroking the younger girl's hair.

"She's fine." Hermione sobbed.

"She?" Fleur asked.

"I j-just can't t-tell Harry! He has too m-much on his sh-shoulders I can't add this!" Hermione continued, tears still falling. "But-but-but-but I love him."

"And 'arry loves Ginny and Ron loves you. That didn't stop him from making love to you." Fleur reminded her.

Hermione sobbed harder and Fleur was grateful that she put up a silencing charm or else she'd have a riot in her little house.

Weeks passed and Fleur always gave Hermione a bit more than the other boys and winked at her every day at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hermione let Fleur tell Bill about the baby and Bill brought a healer home one day in mid-April, one who wouldn't spill the beans about Harry Potter and his friends hiding out in his house and declared her to be about eighteen weeks along. "If she hasn't already begun to kick, she will soon. In a week or so, she'll also be able to hear your voice." The healer said, packing up his things. "I also have a potion you should try to take every day, it's clear and odorless, so it will look like water. And I hear you have been using the _tueri iuvenes_ spell. Good, good, I suspect you know how it works?" Hermione nodded and rolled her eyes when he turned back to his bag. "Splendid, well, my work here is done."

"Thank you, let me show you out." Bill said and Hermione smiled up at Fleur.

"Thank you for bringing him." She whispered, rubbing her slightly swollen belly.

"It's no problem, not at all. I want my goddaughter to be nice and healthy when she gets out of there." Fleur patted Hermione's tummy and smiled.

"You know that I'm not keeping her, right?" Hermione said, looking at the Veela.

Fleur's smile slipped a little. "I figured as much."

When it was time for Harry, Hermione and Ron to leave, both Fleur and Bill hugged the little brunette tightly and whispered their 'good luck's to her gently and let her go.

"Ready, Hermione?" Harry asked.

She hesitated, feeling something sharp hit her from the inside. Hermione realized that it was her daughter kicking and then nodded. "Yes, Harry."

She looked back at Fleur and mouthed 'she kicked'.

*.*.*.*.*

"Alright, Hermione, you going to have to push harder than that!" Healer Davies yelled at the screaming brunette.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Hermione screamed, panting and squeezing Fleur's and the other nurse's hands tightly.

"Push again, Hermione." Healer Davies ordered and Hermione pushed again, yelling naughty words out of her mouth.

"Push 'ard 'ermione!" Fleur encouraged, ignoring the pain shooting up her arm from Hermione's hand squeezing her hand.

Hermione groaned and her head fell back, gritting her teeth and trying to breathe properly, still pushing.

"She's crowning…push Hermione." The healer yelled. "Hard!"

"No…no…" Hermione protested weakly, shaking her head.

"C'mon 'ermione. Push." Fleur said, making Hermione look at her and shake her head. "Push for 'arry."

Hermione swallowed and sat up a little, nodding slightly. "Push Hermione." Healer Davies said again and Hermione screamed as she pushed harder and harder until she heard the long and loud cry of her daughter making her way into this world.

"Did you want to hold her, Hermione?" Healer Davies asked on his way out, noticing the nurses wrapping the baby in a pink blanket.

Hermione looked at Fleur and then over at her daughter. "Yes, please."

The nurses obliged, carrying the baby over to Hermione and placing her in her arms. Hermione relaxed a little and the baby girl stopped squirming about and calmed in her mother's arms.

"She looks like you." Fleur commented softly.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Yeah she does."

"What are you going to name her?" Fleur asked. "Or will you let the adoptive family do that?"

"Lena. Lena Rose." Hermione answered instantly.

*.*.*.*.*

"Now just sign here, here and here and it will be all set." The nasally women behind the desk said.

Hermione did as she was told and then gave the pen back to the women.

"Thank you, have a good day."

Hermione walked back to Fleur and sat down next to her. They were inside a Muggle hospital, giving thirteen hour old Lena away to a Muggle family. Fleur had gone to Hogwarts quickly and quietly and erased Lena's name from the 'Big Book' that kept track of all the magical children born so that she wouldn't get a Hogwarts letter.

"Am I doing the right thing Fleur?"

"I don't know." The blonde rubbed her own tummy, for she was going to have her own child soon, with Bill. "But I know that Lena will be very loved in her new family. She will grow up to be a very beautiful young lady, just like her mother." Fleur said.

Hermione smiled and as two Muggles came walking in to take their new daughter, away from her, the only thing that kept her from bawling like a little baby, was the smile on their faces.

*.*.*.*.*

They let her say good-bye.

Hermione could've been fine with a simple wave and a smile, but no, they let her say good-bye.

Nancy, the women taking her daughter from her, handed Lena back to Hermione and the three left the room. Lena stared up at her mother with big green eyes. Hermione broke down sobbing and pulled out her wand. She muttered a spell and her daughter's eyes turned to her brown ones. She made a piece of parchment and a quill appear and wrote out a note that they were to give to Lena on her seventeenth birthday.

Lena would never know just how special she actually was.

*.*.*.*.*

"Uh, Hermione? You alright?" Lena snapped her fingers in front of Hermione's face and she looked back at her.

"I'm sorry, Lena, what did you say?"

"I asked you if you were alright. You seemed pretty deep in thought."

Hermione smiled a little. "Just reliving a few memories."

Lena's eyes changed from brown to green in an instant.

**Yup. **

**Reviews are cool. :)**


	5. only mama knows

chapter five – only mama knows

_Hermione smiled a little. "Just reliving a few memories."_

_Lena's eyes changed from brown to green in an instant._

Hermione was startled. "Lena, you're eyes just changed from brown to green."

"They did?" Lena's nose scrunched up in thought. "Why? Not that I'm complaining, I mean, I hated my brown eyes, but why would they do that?"

Hermione looked left, then right, then back at Lena. "Come. Sit with me." Lena grabbed her things and sat down across from Hermione at one of the tables. Hermione took a deep breath and looked Lena in the eyes. "I know why."

Lena looked bewildered. "You do? How?"

Hermione bit her lip, thinking hard. "You remember how you said my name was the name of one of the…characters in the Harry Potter series?"

"Yes I remember, I said it about ten minutes ago, actually." Lena said.

"What if I told you it was all real?" Hermione whispered. "If everything you've read in those books were real events that happened not too long ago."

Lena squinted her eyes, trying to make sense of Hermione's not-so-subtle clues. Her eyes widened in realization and she sat back in her chair. She opened her mouth and then closed it, and Hermione nodded slowly, also sitting back in her chair. "It's real?" Lena whispered. "There is magic in the world?" Hermione nodded and suddenly Lena gasped. "You're Hermione Granger."

"Well, actually I'm Hermione Weasley now, but that's not the point. I know why you're eyes just changed from brown to green."

"Well for goodness sake, go on then!" Lena said and sat patiently.

"On May 2, 1998, the Second Wizarding War took place. Five months before that, however…" Hermione swallowed and looked at her hands and Lena followed her gaze. "However, I got pregnant." Her voice cracked a little and Lena looked up at Hermione's face.

"…How?" She asked.

Hermione gave her a look. "You are sixteen years old, I think you know how."

Lena chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Not what I meant. I mean…who? Ron?"

Hermione let out a short (very short) laugh and said, "No, no. Ron had left Harry and I in the woods to fend for ourselves at this time. I wish it was him though, would've made things a hell of a lot easier." Hermione ran a hand through her curls and frowned softly. "No…"

"It wasn't a Snatcher, was it? Please, please, tell me it wasn't Greyback." Lena pleaded and Hermione laughed. "No, it wasn't Greyback either. Lena…who do you know who even has bright green eyes?" Hermione asked, turning her coffee cup 360 degrees clockwise.

Realization hit Lena fast. "Harry Potter…" She breathed.

Hermione nodded slowly. "And I was pregnant with Harry Potter's child. Oh, Ginny would've been envious of me if she had known. I cast a spell to protect the baby from harm as soon as I knew I was pregnant. It kept the baby safe, even when Bellatrix tortured me. The baby was fine, but I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if I told Harry."

"Did you ever tell him?" Lena asked.

Hermione hesitated, then answered, "No. No, I didn't. But I told Fleur and Bill and instead. Well, Fleur told Bill, but still. Bill had brought me a doctor to check the baby and tell me things I already knew. Just before we left to break into Gringott's, the baby kicked for the first time after Harry spoke out loud. I guess it knew who its father was." Hermione chuckled at the memory and Lena smiled softly. "We got the Horcrux and left for Hogwarts on a dragon. The War began and so…many people died. So many people got wounded. Harry…was a Horcrux and he had to die if Voldemort were to die. I wanted to go with him, I wanted to tell him that I was going to have his baby, see if it would've stopped him, but I knew it was futile. He had to go and die. When Voldemort brought back his body, I wanted to sob for him, but I knew I had to be strong. Then we learned that Harry wasn't dead and I could've wept for joy and I'm pretty sure I did. I fought for everyone and finally, Voldemort was dead. Harry had killed him." Hermione's voice was barely above a whisper. "Both Harry and I had stayed at the Burrow that summer and helped rebuild Hogwarts a bit. Hogwarts was finished just days before September 1st and I had decided to go back and finish my last year, I just went back a week later, because on September 4, 1998, at 1:19 in the morning, I gave birth to Harry and mine's baby girl, whom I named Lena…Rose."

And Lena Rose was sitting right across from her. The sixteen year old stared in shock when Hermione finished her sentence and sat still as a statue for a few good minutes.

"You…you mean to tell me that I'm…I'm your daughter? I'm Harry Potter's daughter?" Lena asked quietly, staring at her hands.

"Why else would you're eyes be bright green, just like your father's?" Hermione asked, reaching across the table to tuck her daughter's hair behind her ear gently.

"If I'm…your daughter…and you are a witch…does that mean I'm also a witch?" Lena whispered, looking up into her mother's eyes.

"Yes." Hermione answered.

"But…but I never got my Hogwarts acceptance letter…" Lena pouted.

Hermione laughed. "No, you wouldn't have. Fleur went and erased your name from the Big Book in Hogwarts."

"Excuse me?" Lena asked, leaning forward.

"The Big Book is the book that keeps track of all the magical children born that will attend Hogwarts School as soon as they are eleven." Hermione said and Lena nodded. "You are a witch, Lena."

"I have a mother again." Lena said, her throat closing on her and Hermione smiled through her tears. The two women hugged each other tightly; both of them had tears dripping down their cheeks as they clung to each other.

"Come with me Lena. I have to tell…" Hermione trailed off, not quite sure who she should tell. "There's dinner at the Burrow tonight. Would you like to come with me?" Hermione asked, softly, wiping away her daughter's tears.

"Yes." Lena said. "Yes I would like that…Mum." She smiled a bit and Hermione smiled back and the two hugged once more.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione had told Lena to meet her back at the coffee shop that night. It had stopped raining and the sunset was beautiful. It was still bright outside when Hermione came to get Lena. The shop was still bustling with energy when Lena entered it at six. Hermione came in and she and Lena hugged once more. Hermione took Lena back outside and around a corner before making sure no one was looking and then Apparated.

Lena felt like she was going to throw up when they landed just outside the Burrow's "safety net" as Hermione called it. She fixed her daughter's hair and then took her hand and squeezed it. Lena didn't want her to let go as they walked slowly towards the Burrow. "Mum?"

"Yes, Lena?"

"What happens if they don't exactly…" Lena couldn't form it into words, but she was scared to see what might happen if Harry doesn't want to see her. "What happens if they don't like me?"

"They will, what's not to like?" Hermione smiled at her daughter, but faltered slightly at Lena's worried look. "Here, if you are really worried about them not liking you, put your sunglasses on first. That way, no one will see your eyes and give everything away." Lena nodded and took her sunglasses off her head and slid them into place. Hermione smiled. "Good. Come on then."

The walk to the Burrow seemed to last a lifetime for Lena. She couldn't control all the butterflies in her stomach and that her hands started shaking. The Apparating hadn't helped either.

The two women heard the high shrieks of happiness, the jolly laughter, the smell of the cooking food, and the crackling of a burning fire before they saw anything. As soon as they went around the big pond, Hermione (and Lena) were met with shrieks of "Aunt Mione!" and "Mummy!" as many little children darted from the house and the chicken coop to go see her. Hermione was tackled in a million hugs and Lena stood off to the side and awkwardly played with the hem of her shirt. She should have dressed nicer, all she was in was a pair of her darker blue skinny jeans, ballet flats, a tank top and another shirt over that. Her hair was in its usual braid, and she thought back and wondered if she should have curled it or something.

A little girl with wide brown eyes and a cute little nose and straight red hair shook Lena out of her reverie. "Who are you?"

All the kids had stopped harassing Hermione and turned their attention to Lena. She gulped and glanced up at Hermione, whose face was blank of emotion.

"I'm…Lena."

All the girls gasped. "_The_ Lena?"

Lena rose her eyebrows and looked up at Hermione.

"Alright, come on you lot, inside to get washed up for supper!" Molly Weasley called from the kitchen and the children reluctantly went inside.

"You told them about me?" Lena asked quietly as the mother and daughter walked to the kitchen.

"No, not really. I told stories about a girl named Lena who was a heroic girl with a large heart and a lovely life for bedtime stories. I always hoped that the girl I imagined was what the real Lena was doing." Hermione said softly, holding the door open for her.

"Hermione, dear, who is this?" Molly asked, drying her hands on a towel.

"I will tell you in a minute." Hermione smiled slightly, but it turned out more like a grimace.

"Everyone! Supper's ready!" Molly called out and Hermione pulled Lena onto the stairs.

"Listen, if anything, anything horrible happens, I want you to just go to Fleur and she will take you home, alright?" Hermione said, looking in her eyes.

Lena nodded and said, "Alright."

"Good." Hermione took a shaky breath. "Come on then. I can't put this off anymore."

The two walked out to the garden and only two seats were left. One next to Harry Potter and one next to Ron Weasley. Lena's pace slowed considerably.

There was her father. After sixteen years, she was meeting her _real_ father.

And she felt like she was going to throw up on her mother.

"I can't do this." Lena whimpered from behind her mother.

"You're not saying anything. I'm telling the story." Hermione smiled in a reassuring way, but it didn't help Lena one bit. "Come on." Hermione took Lena's hand and walked her to the table. Lena sat down beside Harry and Hermione sat down beside Ron.

Harry glanced at her and his brow furrowed. "Who are you?"

Lena opened her mouth to speak but Hermione stood up. "I have a confession."

"This isn't church, Mione." George Weasley (THE George Weasley, one ear and all) said with his mouth full. Lena had to tear her eyes away from him just so she could concentrate on her mother.

"I don't care." Hermione snapped and the table went dead silent as she took a breath. "Before the Second Wizarding War, Ron had left Harry and me on our hunt for Horcruxes." Ron looked down, almost shamefully. Harry's eyes widened and he immediately knew where she was going.

"Hermione." He whisper-shouted, but she didn't even look at him.

"I was distraught for obvious reasons. Harry thought it would be helpful to let go of the locket and forget about the Horcruxes for a while, so he turned up the radio and we danced to 'O Children' and…(she swallowed thickly) we kissed."

There were collective gasp around the table and Harry's eyes immediately lept to Lena.

"What?!" Ron was the first the break the silence. His brows were scrunched together and he frowned.

"We kissed. Among other things." Hermione whispered, looking down at her plate still full of food. Harry sighed loudly, took off his glasses and ran his hand over his face. "On September 4th, 1998, I…I had a baby. A baby girl, whom I named Lena Rose. And sixteen years later, she's sitting right there." Hermione looked at Lena and Lena reached up to slowly take off the sunglasses and look up at her mother. There were collective gasps from everyone (except from Fleur and Bill) when they all saw Lena's bright green eyes. Harry stared at Lena and she slowly turned her head to look him in the eyes and Harry had to almost tear his eyes away from hers to be capable of concentrating on Hermione's speech.

"I…I gave her to a Muggle family in California and I thought I would never, ever see her again. But today, when I went to my favorite little café in downtown London, there she was low and behold, leaning against a bookcase and reading a book."

"A 'arry Potter one, I'm assuming." Fleur smirked a little and Lena looked at her godmother and was surprised that she was still beautiful, even though it had been twenty years since she met Hermione and Harry and Ron and that would surely cause some gray hairs.

The table chuckled a little and it diffused some of the tension. "We started talking and I finally told her everything, just as I am telling all of you now." Everyone was silent, except for Ron's heavy, angry breathing and the pounding of Lena's heart in her chest. She was sure everyone could hear it. "And I'm so sorry because I kept this from all of you."

Still silence. Lena began to worry. Suddenly, someone spoke.

"I'm older than you." It was Teddy Lupin, with turquoise hair and all.

"By five months." Lena countered.

"He's still older than you." George said, shoveling some more food into his mouth and Angelina slapped his shoulder.

"Hermione can I talk to you?" Ron asked suddenly, making everyone else quiet.

She swallowed and nodded and they two retreated inside. No one spoke for a while, just listening for yells from inside the Burrow. But none came, so they had to assume that they put muffliato.

"Daddy?" The little girl with brown eyes and straight red hair asked Harry.

"Yes Lily?" Harry's voice was thick and sounded tired and he glanced at his daughter.

"What's going to happen now?"

"I have no idea." Harry whispered and looked back at Lena. Soon, every eye was on Lena Rose Granger – Potter.

She looked at everyone and mentally made note of who everyone was. Every Weasley and Potter was there, even Ginny. She sat in her seat, completely silent and still, fork still in her hand and Lena feared that she might stab Harry with it.

Lena eventually found her voice and all she could manage was a simple, "Hi."

*.*.*.*.*

"How could you Hermione? With my best mate no less!" Ron raged, his ears turning red with anger.

Hermione was rather calm, considering the fact that she expected this reaction to come from him. "I'm sorry Ron, it just happened, it's not like I planned it! I didn't exactly want to get pregnant at seventeen with Harry Potter's child. I didn't tell anyone, except for Fleur who figured it out for herself. I'm sorry!"

"Yes, but Harry? Harry Potter of all people! Merlin, everyone was right! You always wanted him, but you settled for me because you didn't want to upset Ginny, right? Girl code or something like that?" Ron shouted.

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione yelled. "I always wanted _you_, you were just too busy sucking Lavender Brown's face off and were too _arrogant_ to notice anything that I said!"

"Oh, please, we were kids, mindless kids." Ron waved his hand as if it was nothing.

"You! You were mindless, I actually used my brain in school, and I didn't cheat off of the girl you called one of your 'best mates' until you kissed her!" Hermione screamed at him.

"Yeah, because I pulled my head out of my arse and realized that I fell in love with you, Hermione!" Ron shouted.

"I fell in love with you, Ronald. Not at first, of course, but it was gradual and loving and caring and you never returned it. I was left to be sobbing on the stairs with Harry as my damn pillow. He was always there for me when you weren't! And oh Merlin, of all people, I didn't expect to have fallen in love with him!" Hermione yelled, then clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she said.

"You fell in love with me?"

Both Hermione and Ron's head snapped to the door to see Harry standing in the doorway.

Hermione's mouth opened to say something, anything, but nothing came out.

"Harry?" Ron asked, his voice shaking with anger.

"Yes, Ron?" Harry asked, fearful.

"Were you ever going to tell me this?" Ron shouted.

"…No." Harry looked down at his shoes.

Ron looked between Hermione and Harry and shook his head. "I was right all along. Hope you two have a happy life together!" He yelled as he Flooed away.

"Harry…" Hermione whispered, but was cut short by a short, redhead, her purse in one hand, her wedding ring in another. Ginny threw her wedding ring at Harry's glasses, breaking them in the process, and Flooed away just as her brother did. Hermione whispered, "_Oculus Reparo_" and his glasses were fixed and back on his face. She bent down to pick up the wedding ring Ginny threw at him and held it in her palm for Harry to take, but he didn't. Instead, he took off his own wedding ring and put it in her palm. The two met their gazes and Hermione slowly took off her wedding ring and placed it in her palm.

"That's two destroyed marriages over a sixteen year old illegitimate love child." Harry said quietly, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm so sorry Harry." Hermione spoke barely above a whisper.

Lena stood in the doorway, silent, watching her two parents talk quietly.

"What now?" Hermione asked him.

"I have no idea." Harry said, pulling her to him and hugging her. Hermione burst into tears the second she was in his embrace and Lena was pretty sure Harry was crying too.

"I'm sure that you two could file for divorces, couldn't you?" Lena asked quietly and stepped inside. Hermione turned her head so she could look at her daughter.

"Maybe. I don't quite know how that works in the Wizarding World." She answered quietly, still hugging herself to Harry, who turned his head to look at Lena properly.

"She looks like you, Mione." Harry murmured and Lena smiled a bit.

"But there is one thing about me that I know is from you. Maybe two." Lena said. Harry raised his eyebrows. "My green eyes. And my stubbornness."

Harry laughed, actually laughed and let go of Hermione to finally hug his daughter. Lena leaned into him, closing her eyes and smelling his somehow familiar scent.

"We could combine families." Lena suggested, not letting go of Harry.

"What do you mean, Lena?"

"We can all live under one roof, you, Mum, Albus, Rose, James, Lily and Hugo." Lena rattled off all the children who were, technically, her half-siblings.

Harry looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Lena. Lena looked up at Harry. The three of them looked out the window to see James, Albus, Rose, Lily and Hugo standing right outside the window. Lena giggled and Hermione began laughing. Harry joined in and so did all the little kiddies outside the window as they rushed inside.

"We'll be alright." Harry said, hugging Hermione to his side.

"Yeah, I think we will." Hermione agreed quietly, watching all the children talk to one another animatedly. She looked at Harry and smiled, and he returned the smile.

"You really fell in love with me?" Harry whispered in her ear.

Hermione's cheeks burned. "Yes."

He chuckled. "Good." Hermione rose an eyebrow. "Because I fell in love with you too."

And what cliché would it be if they didn't kiss?

**Like I said before, reviews are nice. Not required, but...nice. :)**


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